Editorial — Turn something off for Earth Hour

March 20, 2013 · 0 Comments

There was a time, not all that long ago, when the idea of electrical power was just some fantasy.
Now it’s something we all depend on, and many of us don’t even think about; at least until we lose it.
Think back to that night in August 2003, when many in North America coped with a complete loss of electricity. We coped, and since we were all in it together, there was a certain sense of camaraderie, along with a lot of good feeling. Of course it was only a relatively brief outage.
This coming Saturday marks Earth Hour. This started in Australia in 2007, according to a staff report that recently went to Caledon council. It was at the time, and still is, a call for people to turn off the juice for one hour as a statement against climate change.
That might be asking a bit much for some people, although it is clear the annual occasion has been growing in popularity over the last couple of years.
But there’s another possible justification for thinking about it.
Take a look at your latest hydro bill some time. If you wish it were lower, there might be something you can do to bring that about. There are the basic things, like turning off the lights in rooms that aren’t being used, unplugging appliances if it’s not necessary for them to be plugged in.
Would it really be that much of a chore next weekend to carve the Easter ham manually, rather than use an electric carving knife?
If everyone were to observe Earth Hour Saturday, there would be some beneficial impact, but likely not too significant. But if it got everyone thinking about their use of electricity and how to cut down on it, then the whole thing would be worthwhile.
Who knows what it might spark.